[ o ] : Photo Battle :: Lefteye Vs WannaBe

[lefteyewilly]

Lefteyewilly Vs. Wannabe80z

I need to sharpen my skills with this new cam and the only way to do it is to take shots.

-Photography challenge
-Slight editing allowed (crop, sharpening, levels, some dodge & burn, )
-Original photo needs to be posted
-EXIF data optional, but preferred
-3-4 day turnaround time
-Open number of rounds
-Theme/subject will be picked by the gallery after each round

-Crits not only welcome, they are required (let's try to stay away from simple stuff like "nice shot")

So, who wants to suggest the first subject matter?

[EVPohovich]

Nice idea...


Subject: Good vs. Evil

[1stbite]

subject 2?: contrast

loving the idea of a photography battle...

[WannaBe_80z]

Good vs Evil sounds interesting not sure what I can come up with snowed in my building but I am sure something...so what shall it be?

[lefteyewilly]

we'll stick with the good v evil. I've been racking my brain and have no idea, but i need to think differently about it. 3 days starting now i should be able to get something during the long weekend.

[lefteyewilly]

alright, here's my submission for Good Vs. Evil
original:

Edited:


setup: brownish wrapping paper set as backdrop in my homemade light box, one clamp light at the top left corner with another sitting on the floor tilted up, camera on a tripod triggered with a remote. I had a spare piece of foam core which i used as a reflector and i used zippo fluid to light the donut on fire. The other things in the background are just to make it more interesting.

post production: levels, curves, hue/saturation slight adjustment, and slightly blurred the background out a tad more. Oh, and of course added the border.

[WannaBe_80z]

I am not really in the the situation to be taking picture but I promise tomorrow I will have something up. I have a idea I just need to go buy the supplies.

<?pwd>

[lefteyewilly]

take your time dude.

[pea3698]

Nice image Lefteye jk

I love the composition and the creativity with the flaming donut. The dof looks great as well. The one thing that is bothering me is the hard light to the right of the photo on the duck image. You may have meant to do this, but I won't assume that you are that bright . The bright light on the right looks like like coming through a window and the left side gives the effect of being at night and the only light being candle light. Now you could say that the bright light stands for good and the darker light evil, and if that is what you meant to do awesome concept.

Nice fire.

[Dricciotti]

sick image lefteye!!

Now were you planning this image or just sitting around lighting donuts on fire?

[EVPohovich]

* registers flamingdonut.com *

really cool photo lefteye, I think I would have dodged out the duck picture just a little to keep the eyes focused on the main subject.

Interesting idea, and I also am wondering if you just sit around at night lighting donuts on fire...

[Dricciotti]

flaming donut sounds like something out of an adult movie

[lefteyewilly]

i have to say the good vs evil theme really threw me for a loop. When EVP suggested it, i thought it'd be relatively easy to come up with something, but a week later, i was still scratching my head. The idea of good food vs bad food was relatively easy to come up with after i exhausted many other simple and easy solutions. I chose a donut and apple due to their contrasting shapes. After that was decided, i realized it'd be a pretty boring picture even with nice lighting at which point i summoned Jimi Hendrix and decided to light the donut on fire a la Montery Pops.

I began testing the burn time of the zippo fluid by pouring a bit on a glass plate and lighting it. Then i used a test donut to see how it would react with the chocolate frosting. The glass of water in the photo is actually an after thought, as it was originally going to be used in case the flames got out of control...which would have been really easy as the donut is set on wrapping paper. I found out quickly that the fluid ran off or soaked into the chocolate very fast.

The trickiest part was dousing the donut over a plate, transferring it to the stage, lighting it, holding up the reflector and hitting the remote switch all in the matter of 5 seconds.

I just happened to get lucky as the 3rd time of lighting it, the fire shot out of the middle of the donut and the camera captured it perfectly.

I have to say though...i was laughing my ass off the entire time of testing and shooting just thinking about how odd it is to set a donut on fire. . I'm still laughing about.

I completely agree with the duck in the background, it's way too bright and takes away attention to the flames. Also as an after thought, maybe i should have put some zippo fluid in the top of the apple and lit that as well...

[Dricciotti]

Also as an after thought, maybe i should have put some zippo fluid in the top of the apple and lit that as well...

I like the fact that the apple isnt on fire. It is after all the "good" element of the pic.

[RUSHVision]

I'm just sorry a perfectly good chocolate doughnut had to be sacrificed for the making of this image.

Nice one though, Lefty!

[pea3698]

WHAT! You didn't eat it. Bloody waste I tell you.

[WannaBe_80z]

Alright I have come to my senses and am making up all my previous work here on FK. So expect some post in the photo forum and the arena in the next day or so.

Good Vs. Evil

Large
PS RAW: Exposure, Fill Light, Blacks, Contrast, Sharpen
PS: Levels, Selective Coloring, Crop, High Pass, Lots of Burning

Original after raw conversion

Large

My setup 1

Large

Setup 2

Large

Setup 3

Large


I hope this makes up for the delay.

[littleMatt]

HA! I love it. Such a menacing picture - great use of shadows. I only wish the background went to the edges of the picture.

And the doughnut rocks lefteye

[lefteyewilly]

great use of lighting and angle of attack on that. Really does give a good sense of good vs. evil even with just 2 computers (down with dell!). I agree with LittleMatt about the background...that'd be my only real issue here.

i'd like to see what others think...but in the mean time...what's the next theme (contrast is a tad too close to this theme, so anything else?)

[pea3698]

whimsical abstraction